SHDW is governed by the Board of Directors, which will have one member from academia and one member with a management or practitioner role at all times, with members serving both within and outside of North America. All Directors shall serve terms of three years and shall be eligible for re-election to one term thereafter. The Chief Operating Officer of the Corporation shall also serve on the Board in an ex officio capacity, and is excluded from voting.

The founding Board of Directors has been appointed by the incorporators. The founding Board of Directors members are:

Mireille Gonzalez

Colorado State University

Mireille is a conservation social scientist and facilitator focused on improving conservation approaches and advancing human-wildlife coexistence research, collaboration, and strategy. As Director and Research Scientist with the Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence at Colorado State University and Founder and Principal Consultant of Catalyst for Conservation, she leads applied social-science and stakeholder initiatives that reduce conflict, inform policy, and translate research into practical conservation impact. Her expertise spans conflict resolution, science communication, and behavior change, with a commitment to making conservation both scientifically rigorous and socially effective.

Michael Manfredo

Colorado State University

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Anita Morzillo

University of Connecticut

<p style="color: #4a5568; font-size: 0.88rem; line-height: 1.5; margin: 0;"Anita is an Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Connecticut. Anita’s research focuses on interactions between human activities and natural resources, applying tools from both natural and social science to understand relationships between them. Broad research areas include landscape ecology and human dimensions of natural resource management.

Mike Quartuch

Colorado Parks and Wildlife

Mike Quartuch is the Assistant Director of Policy and Planning with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW). Mike has worked for the people of Colorado for the past ten years, first as the agency’s lead social science researcher and now as a member of the Executive Management Team. In his current role, Mike supports an incredibly talented team of staff who serve as subject matter experts on many of the “people” challenges and opportunities facing state park and wildlife management in Colorado. With a focus on statewide policy, his team leads efforts spanning parks and wildlife regulations, legislation, the Parks and Wildlife Commission, and statewide energy coordination. He also has the pleasure of supporting staff who lead the agency’s public involvement, stakeholder engagement, and social science research. Within his team, experts develop state park management plans and the resource stewardship program provides subject matter expertise in biological and cultural resource conservation and preservation for all of Colorado’s state parks. Prior to his current role, Mike was the agency’s lead social science researcher. He worked on a wide array of projects including human-wildlife interaction, outdoor recreation preferences and experiences, risk perceptions and wildlife disease, and evaluating the efficacy of stakeholder engagement processes. Mike serves as Chair of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ Social Science Subcommittee and is a member of the Science and Research Committee and Human Dimensions Committee for the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Emily Schmieding

Colorado State University

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Natalie Sexton

US Fish and Wildlife Service

Natalie is a conservation and social science professional who spent more than 32 years with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and U.S. Geological Survey advancing the integration of human dimensions into conservation practice. She played a key role in building the agency’s social science capacity and continues to support conservation professionals through consulting, leadership development, and coaching.

Dean Smith

Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies

Dean is an ardent conservationist and advocate for engaging people in natural resource management decisions. He has worked for more than 35 years in the areas of wetland and waterfowl conservation, agriculture, and natural resource policy and program development throughout North America. From 2010 to 2025, Dean was the NAWMP Director and Wildlife Liaison for Canada at the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, where he facilitated partnerships, collaborative initiatives, and communication between governments, conservation organizations, and academia. Dean is currently the Chair of Wildlife Habitat Canada and Vice Chair of the Society for Human Dimensions of Wildlife. He has been a collaborator in the Global Wildlife Values Study, the Canadian Wildlife Values Study, and the Canadian co-chair of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan Update (2018).

Tara Teel

Colorado State University

Tara is a Professor in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University (CSU) and currently serves as the Interim Department Head. Her work focuses on improving conservation decision-making through understanding human thought and behavior and building social science capacity among conservation professionals. Much of her research has been devoted to examining human-wildlife relationships in the U.S. and globally, with a particular focus on employing concepts and methodologies from social psychology to study human values toward wildlife, attitudes and behaviors toward wildlife-related issues, and the social factors underlying human-wildlife conflict. She works closely with conservation agencies and organizations in the application of social science to inform their planning, management, and communication efforts.

Eick von Ruschkowski

Alfred Toepfer Academy for Nature Conservation

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Tony Wasley

Wildlife Management Institute

Tony Wasley currently serves as the President and CEO of the Wildlife Management Institute (WMI), a non-profit conservation organization founded in 1911 and dedicated to science-based, professional wildlife management. WMI continues to serve as the think tank for conservation in exploring topics like conservation relevancy and compiling a comprehensive set of foundational elements for conservation’s future. Tony is a member of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners, sits on the boards of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership and the Council to Advance Hunting and Shooting Sports, and chairs the Executive Committee for Conservation without Conflict. He is a longtime member of The Wildlife Society and a professional member of the Boone and Crockett Club. Prior to joining WMI, Tony had a 26-year career at the Nevada Department of Wildlife during which time he served as Director for 10 years. Tony also served as Chairman of the North American Wetland Conservation Council, on the Departments of Interior and Agriculture’s Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council, President of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, President of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, and as Chairman of the Intermountain West Joint Venture Management Board, Pacific Flyway Council, and Colorado River Fish and Wildlife Council. He received B.S. Degrees in both Biological Sciences and Wildlife Management and an M.S. Degree in Biology. Tony lives in the 85% publicly administered state of Nevada and is most content when strolling the public lands and limited waters of the Great Basin accompanied by his German Wirehaired Pointer “Redd” whether equipped with camera, binoculars, flyrod, shotgun, rifle, or walking stick.

As of incorporation, the founding Executive Committee has been appointed by the incorporators. The founding Executive Committee members are:

• Michael Manfredo, President
• Dean Smith, Vice President
• Emily Schmieding, Treasurer/Secretary

The Board shall collect nominations for the Elections Committee and select committee members. Each committee is responsible for self-electing a chair, who also shall serve on the Board, and report directly to the Board.

The Elections Committee consists of three to four people who are members of the society, and, as per above, one member must serve on the Board. Committee members shall serve a term of three years and may be re-elected. This committee works with the COO to conduct Board elections, as necessary. This committee tracks the appointments of all elected officers, soliciting nominations for newly elected officers when the terms of existing officers have expired. The committee conducts each election, ensuring that all members as of the election date are dues-paying members.

Conducting Board Elections

1. A seat becomes vacant on the Board.
2. Any Member of SHDW may nominate another Member or themself for a Board decision. Nominations will be collected September 1 – November 1.
3. Nominations will be compiled, then announced by December 10. From November 1 through December 10, the Elections Committee will confirm with SHDW Members their intent to serve on the Board by December 2.
4. Voting will occur from December 10 through December 20. A Member shall abstain from voting upon his or her own nomination for election or re-election to the Board. A plurality vote of current Members will fill the position.
5. Elected members of the BOD are to be announced prior to the term start date, which is January 1 of each year.